What Boys Do For Love
by sweetjujubee
Summary: How far will a boy go to get the girl of his dreams? I think Ron has an answer to that. RHr
1. Why Did I Do It?

Author's Notes: I'm kind of surprised I even wrote this, considering that I am strongly **against **the idea of Ron and Hermione as a couple...Harry and Hermione forever!!!  
  
Disclaimer: Ugh, I'm bad at writing disclaimer-type-thingys. As long as you all know that I'm not trying to take credit for creating Harry Potter and his friends, I think we're safe.

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The Gryffindor common room was especially full tonight. The fourth years were excitedly chatting near the fire about a niffler demonstration they had seen this morning. A few feet away from them, the second years were happily commenting about the absence of transfiguration homework from McGonagall. Near the entrance of the common room, the third and seventh years were talking animatedly about the worst teachers in the school. Katie Bell was going into depth about Professor Trelawney's blunders as a teacher and Dennis Creevy and his friends were laughing at her comments.  
  
All around the common room, students were enjoying their Friday nights one way or another. Only one red haired sixth year did not join in on the festivities of a new weekend. Pacing worriedly in the back of the common room was Ron Weasly. He was wringing his hands stressfully while wearing a rut in the stone floors with his pacing.  
  
"How am I going to tell Hermione what I did?" Ron asked himself. "Why did I do it? Stupid, stupid, stupid," Ron yelled at himself with each step he took. "Hermione will kill me when she finds out, then she'll tell Dumbledore who will expel me, then he'll tell my mom who will bury me in the backyard! Ginny and my brothers will have a hell of a time digging me out."  
  
Ron continued to grumble and yell at himself. "It had seemed like such a good idea two weeks ago!"  
  
-------------Flashback-------------  
  
Ron sat at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. He silently poked at his uneaten breakfast, debating with himself. Reaching into his robes, Ron felt the cool glass of a small vial in his hands. The contents of the vial, if he used them, would probably change his life forever. He would find happiness. All he had to do was pour the love potion into Hermione's goblet of pumpkin juice. He looked at his watch. Three minutes until owl post, and three minutes to decide.  
  
He sighed at looked at Hermione who was reading a book propped open against the jug of pumpkin juice. Her beautiful brown eyes were scanning the text carefully, unaware that Ron was completely focused on her. Ron's heart began to race as he imagined what it would be like to have those wonderful brown eyes stare deep into his own blue ones, to have her soft hands in his own, and her tender lips pressed against his. His heart beat furiously at the thought of kissing her, and having her tongue explore the inside of his mouth...  
  
"RON!"  
  
Ron shook his head and fell out of his trance. Hermione was giving him the strangest look, and Ron squirmed uncomfortably in his seat.  
  
"Are you okay, Ron? You look so pale, and you haven't even touched your breakfast."  
  
"I'm okay Hermione."  
  
"Are you sure Ron?" Harry asked from beside her. "You haven't been sleeping a lot lately."  
  
Ron turned back to his breakfast, feeling that his ears were turning red. He sensed Hermione's gaze on him and looked up to see concern in her eyes.  
  
"Maybe you should see Madam Pomfrey. I just saw her last night for some cold medicine," she told him.  
  
Ron shook his head. "I'm just a little tired. It's Friday Hermione. I'll make it through classes and sleep tonight. Don't worry so much."  
  
Hermione nodded, but the worry never left her eyes. That was another thing he loved about Hermione. She cared so much about him.  
  
Ron took a deep breath, and decided, "I'll do it. I'll give her the potion." He checked his watch and looked up at the enchanted ceiling. Two seconds later, the owls arrived carrying packages and letters for their owners. Hermione took no notice until she heard a loud screeching from above. Every student looked at the owls in the sky, even the students who weren't expecting packages.  
  
Pig was flying haphazardly in the air, bouncing crazily against any owl that was near him. Tied to his legs was a package that was at least three times as big as he was, and probably just as heavy. Ron had tied the package to him this morning, with instructions to bring it to him later. Pig would cause the perfect distraction.  
  
With everyone's attention on the chaos above, Ron discreetly poured the colorless liquid of the vial into Hermione's goblet of pumpkin juice. He stood up, called for Pig to come to him, and caught his exhausted owl.  
  
Ron excused himself by saying that maybe he should go to the Hospital Wing after all. He ran out of the Great Hall, shocked by what he just did.  
  
-----------End-Flashback-----------  
  
"Why did I do it? The last two weeks have been a sham," Ron thought, mentally kicking himself.  
  
The common room door suddenly swung open, and Hermione stepped in. She scanned the room and found Ron by himself in the corner. As she made her way over to him, their eyes locked and Ron found himself thinking about the day he first asked her out.  
  
-------------Flashback-------------  
  
"Ron, what are you doing?" Hermione asked as Ron pushed her into an empty classroom. It was after dinner on the same day he had put the potion into Hermione's goblet. Harry was in the Hospital Wing that night. Apparently, his dinner didn't agree with him. He kept stuttering and his face was flushed all night. Ron and Hermione had both suggested that he go to the Hospital Wing.  
  
Alone, Ron and Hermione had walked back to their common room. Suddenly, Hermione found herself being forced into a classroom.  
  
"What are you doing?" she asked Ron again. He finally responded and sat her on the teacher's desk and took a seat beside her.  
  
"I just wanted to talk."  
  
"Okay, but why did we have to go into a classroom to talk?"  
  
Ron sighed. He looked at her, and she looked back. Ron could feel the color rushing to his face. The sound of his pounding heart was so loud that he would be shocked if Hermione couldn't hear it.  
  
"I-I-I...think I like you. I want to be your boyfriend, and I wanted to know how you feel."  
  
Hermione said nothing. She looked at him with a blank expression while Ron held his breath. The potion he had given her was called _amare memoria_. It worked by giving the drinker false memories of liking the person whose hair had been put in the potion (in this case, Ron's). It didn't cause the drinker to be in a frenzy over the potion brewer, like most love potions. This one was more subtle, maybe even too subtle. From Hermione's expression, the potion didn't seem to have worked.  
  
"Oh no," Ron thought. I brewed it wrong. It doesn't work, and I've just made a fool of myself. Even worse, what if I brewed it wrong and it makes Hermione NEVER fall in love with me!"  
  
His fears were alleviated in the next second. Hermione had shifted closer to him, and she nudged his hand with her own. Ron intertwined his fingers with her, and looked at her.  
  
Hermione smiled and said, "I like you too, Ron. I think I always have, but I never realized it until this year," she whispered shyly. A pink blush began to cover her face, and she looked away, smiling.  
  
"So, you'll be my girlfriend?"  
  
Her reaction caught him completely off guard. Hermione leaned in and kissed him. It was a quick kiss, and when she pulled away she had a look of shock from her own daring. She immediately blushed, as did Ron, but they both leaned in for another kiss. It was slower, longer, and had more depth than the first. Hermione pulled away first. Her face was flushed, and she was breathing a little harder.  
  
"Yes, Ron. I'll be your girlfriend."  
  
-----------End-Flashback-----------  
  
The memory of his first kiss still made his heart flutter, but the sight of Hermione as she walked toward him now was making his heart sink.

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Ok, that's all for now. Thanks for reading. I'll probably wrap up this short fic in one more chapter. Tell me what you all think! 


	2. The Truth Will Come Out, Tomorrow

Author's Notes: I'm sooooo incredibly sorry for keeping any readers waiting. I have no excuses, except laziness (which isn't really an excuse). Thank you so much to everyone who wrote a review. You don't know how much it means to have someone review your work, so I really appreciate it. Again, I'm so sorry for being such a bad updater. I'll try to update faster with the next chapter. Also, if anyone notices anything that doesn't make sense, please let me know. Sometimes I'll write something that makes complete sense to me, but makes no sense at all whatsoever in reality.  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, not even this computer I'm typing on! =D Just kidding, but JK Rowling owns all the characters I'm writing about.  
  
The last two weeks had been great. Ron and Hermione had grown closer with each passing day. They held hands in the corridors, stole kisses between classes, and stayed up late in the common room talking.  
  
But as great as dating Hermione had been, he felt a twinge of guilt each time he kissed her, or thought about her. None of this was real. This was all magic, and not the special kind that two people who are in love share. Hermione was enchanted, and her feelings were fake. Time after time Ron thought about the consequences of the love potion he had used. What would happen when she found out that her feelings weren't real? What if he was messing with fate and Hermione was destined to be with someone else?  
  
As Hermione now approached him in the crowded Gryffindor common room, Ron knew that he had to tell her the truth. Love wasn't something that should be toyed with. He knew that now. The guilt that had been tearing at his heart since this whole mess had started had finally caught up with him. He had to tell Hermione the truth.  
  
"Hey handsome," Hermione whispered playfully into Ron's ear as she wrapped him in a hug. She leaned upward and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. Ron's heart grew heavier as he thought about everything he would miss if he lost Hermione. If he was never able to kiss her again, never able to have her in his arms, he was sure that he would never smile again either. Nevertheless, Ron knew that enough was enough. It was time to end all the lying.  
  
"What's wrong, Ron?" Hermione asked, questioned by his silence and his sullen expression.  
  
"Um, I have something I need to talk to you about," he mumbled, unable to meet her eyes. Hermione allowed herself to be led by Ron toward the boy's dormitories. They made their way up the stairs in silence, both aware or the seriousness of the situation. As Ron closed the door behind her, Hermione sat on the edge of his bed and hugged one of his pillows, apprehensive of what he wanted to discuss. Ron stayed standing by the door, equally as nervous, and began to uncomfortably clear his throat.  
  
"Um, you see...I, um, it's about you and me..." he stumbled, unsure of how to tell her the truth. He fell silent and looked at the ground.  
  
"Are you breaking up with me?" she asked quietly, her voice wavering. Ron met her eyes as she asked this, and felt that they were almost daring him to give the cue to let the tears fall. He didn't have the heart to make her cry, yet he couldn't live this lie any longer. However...  
  
"No! It's not that!" he cried, surprised by what he was saying. "I-I-I don't--I'm not breaking up with you..."  
  
Almost instantly, he could see the relief flooding Hermione's expression. Ron, on the other hand, felt like a coward. He had ran away from telling her the truth. The only tiny little shred of heroism he felt at the moment came from the fact that he had sparred her the pain of knowing that he had betrayed her. Hermione gave an audible sigh of relief that hung in the air between the two of them for a few moments. She then got off Ron's bed, walked over to him, and hit him on the arm.  
  
"Why would you do that to me!" she cried. "You scared me half to death! I'll have you know that most girls don't appreciate it when their boyfriends look all upset and want to have a talk about 'us'!"  
  
"I-I know, I'm sorry." He looked away in shame.  
  
She threw her arms around him and Ron instinctively wrapped her into a protective hug.  
  
"It's ok. You know I'll always forgive you. Now what did you want to talk about that had to do with you and me?" she asked, still wrapped up in his embrace, her head resting comfortably on his chest.  
  
'_You know I'll always forgive you,_' he thought to himself. He doubted she would forgive him when he told her about the love potion she had given him. However, he couldn't tell her now, not after telling her that they weren't breaking up. Not sure of what to say next, Ron began to frantically look around the room. His eyes rested upon Harry's bed and the words flew out of his mouth.  
  
"It's Harry. I'm worried about him. He's been acting oddly all week."  
  
"Yeah," Hermione agreed, pulling away from Ron. "I've noticed that too. He been looking a little troubled lately, but he hasn't said anything to me about it. Has he said anything to you?"  
  
Still thinking on his feet, Ron shook his head and replied, "No, which is why I'm worried. I think I should spend more time with him, maybe figure out what's wrong. We've been spending so much time together lately that I haven't really been able to talk to him...I was just wondering if you would mind if we spent a little less time together for a while..."  
  
He cringed as he waited for her response. Surprisingly, she wasn't at all offended by his request.  
  
"I think that's a good idea," she agreed. "Maybe all Harry needs is his best friend right now. I won't stand in the way if you'd rather see Harry than me," she joked, giving him a bright smile.  
  
Ron returned her smile, though he hardly felt like smiling at the moment. Just one more lie to add to the pile, he thought to himself. At least he had bought himself some time away from her to think some more about the whole situation.  
  
Hermione led Ron toward the window and they both gazed into the starry sky. A shooting star streaked across the black horizon and Hermione squealed with delight.  
  
"A shooting star, Ron! How lucky! Let's make a wish!"  
  
Ron shut his eyes, wrapped Hermione in his arms, and took a deep breath. _I wish that everything will work out ok...I wish Hermione loved me for real._


End file.
